Organization | FSD Curriculum

Essential Question:

How do we transform a raw idea into a clearly articulated business concept, and what agreements make a team function well?

Learning Objectives:

Standards:

NYS Next Generation Learning Standards RST.4.11-12 — Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other content-specific words and phrases as they are used in scientific or technical sources.
New York State Learning Standards CDOS 3a — Students will demonstrate mastery of the foundation skills and competencies essential for success in the workplace.

Materials:

Scaffolds:

Bridging Learning Gaps:

Each group has a pre-generated idea/direction based on common interests from previous lesson

Differentiation:

Printed idea prompt cards with example business categories for groups that struggle to generate ideas
Sentence starters for the 60-second pitch for students who need language support

Extensions:

Opening Task

Scholars will complete opening task on Schoology covering topics learned from HTML/CSS unit
Randomly selected scholar will facilitate review with peers

“Its not what you know, its who you know”
Instructor reiterates the full unit arc: business idea → brand identity → wireframe → coded website → public deployment
Emphasis on Student Showcase & Building Social Capital

Instructor announces group assignments; students sit together
Instructor sets the tone: teams are accountable to each other, not just to the grade

Groups work through Handout 1 in four structured stages:
1. Divergent brainstorm — each person generates 3–5 ideas independently before sharing
2. Filter — eliminate ideas that fail the real / web-worthy / buildable tests
3. Go deep — analyze top 2–3 survivors using customer, problem, differentiator, and pages prompts
4. Commit — land on one idea and prepare a 60-second pitch
Key check-for-understanding questions to ask while circulating:
- “Who specifically is your customer — can you describe one real person?”
- “Why would someone choose your business over a Google search or a big competitor?”
- “What would a visitor actually do on your website?”
Instructor circulates continuously; challenge generic ideas early before groups get attached

Each group delivers their 60-second pitch to the class
Peers give one “warm” (what’s working) and one “wonder” (a question or concern)
Instructor verbally approves ideas or flags ones that need revision before next class
Document any ideas needing revision on Handout 2 approval line

Groups complete Handout 2 — the team agreement — covering:
- Role assignments (product owner, lead developer, UI/UX designer)
- Communication channel and response time norms
- Decision-making process for disagreements
- Conflict resolution steps
Instructor reviews and signs each team’s agreement before they leave
Completed, signed agreements collected at the door — no exceptions

Exit ticket: “In two sentences, describe your business idea and the customer it serves”

Criteria	Exemplary (3)	Proficient (2)	Developing (1)	Not Yet (0)
Idea viability	Clearly real, web-relevant, and buildable; customer is specific	Mostly viable with minor gaps	Idea is vague or web-relevance is unclear	Idea does not meet basic criteria
Value proposition	Customer, problem, and differentiator all articulated clearly	Two of three elements clearly articulated	One element clear; others vague	No coherent value proposition
Role assignment	All three roles assigned with responsibilities understood	Roles assigned but responsibilities unclear	Roles partially assigned	No role structure established
Working norms	Specific, realistic norms for communication and conflict	Most norms present; some vague	One or two norms listed	No norms established
Team buy-in	All members signed; everyone can speak to the idea	Signed; uneven enthusiasm	Partially completed	Not submitted